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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26869633">Secrets and Roses</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeahAnne/pseuds/LeahAnne'>LeahAnne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:08:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26869633</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeahAnne/pseuds/LeahAnne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione had a history of making poor choices whenever Ron upset her. An emotional Hermione struggles with the fallout from betraying her husband in the worst way with his best friend. When she finds out she is pregnant after years of infertility, she knows the baby isn't her husband's. What will she do? Will her marriage survive?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter One: Falling Apart</p><p>xx</p><p>Author's Note: This story is cross-posted from another well-known publishing source where I have been writing since 2005.  While this is my first story on AO3, I've been writing for a long, long time.  Hope you enjoy.</p><p>xx</p><p>It had always been this way.</p><p>Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley had been married for two and a half years. They still fought like mad, just like they had in their Hogwarts days. Despite the growing up both of them had accomplished during the Second Wizarding War, the immaturity of their arguments had not changed one iota.</p><p>First it was that Hermione would not drop her maiden name.</p><p>"Ronald, just because you believe women should raise children and cook dinner for their husbands doesn't mean that I agree with you!" Hermione said shrilly, her hands crossed in front of her chest, eyes alight with a burning desire which Ron interpreted as either being severely annoyed or severely wanting to hex him.</p><p>"It's not about that! It's about becoming a FAMILY, Hermione. You want our kids to be made fun of with a last name like Finch-Fletchley? Because last I checked, his parents weren't married at all!"</p><p>"There's more than one reason to have a hyphenated last name!"</p><p>Their second argument was the night their nephew, James Sirius, was born. Harry proudly announced the birth of their son – they hadn't known the gender of the baby beforehand – and Hermione plastered on the best smile she could, happy for her friends but crushed inside for herself and Ron. They had been trying for about a year at that point, with no answers as to why they hadn't conceived. Hermione poured every ounce of research she could into book after book on infertility and the different parts of the menstrual cycle and charted the entire thing on a wall in their bedroom. Ron completely came undone at the clinical approach Hermione began taking to their lovemaking and that night ended up in him ripping up the entire chart and telling her that he had absolutely no interest in starting a family under that kind of pressure.</p><p>Two and a half years later, Ron's annoyance at the prospect of giving his children hyphenated last names hadn't even become an issue because Hermione had not become pregnant. Not even once. She had visited several Healers at St. Mungo's, trying to procure a cause for this and no one seemed to have an answer for her. She even went as far as visiting a Muggle reproductive endocrinologist, who had given her a clean bill of reproductive health, telling her that her FSH, LH, AMH, estradiol and progesterone were all in normal limits.</p><p>So, of course, their third major argument was over their undiagnosed infertility. Ron adamantly refused to have things checked on his end, saying that his parents had seven healthy children, including a set of twins, so it was more than obvious that this wasn't his fault.</p><p>Fault. FAULT. Wasn't his FAULT?</p><p>Ron stormed out of the house after Hermione had thrown a vase at the wall in sheer anger, unable to understand why her husband thought it was acceptable to pronounce fault on either of them for something they were clearly unable to control.</p><p>Or maybe they would be able to control it if they just KNEW what was wrong!</p><p>Night after night, Hermione went to sleep quietly, not speaking to her husband, who seemed perfectly content not speaking to her either. Occasionally, they would have sex, but Hermione's heart just wasn't in it any longer. She immersed herself in work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, while Ron immersed himself in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes with his brother, George.</p><p>So, when Ginny Flooed over to Hermione and Ron's place to inform them of a gathering the next day at the Burrow, Hermione's chest tightened uncomfortably. James was nearly two years old and Ginny always wanted her children close in age as she and her brothers had been. It was like a freight train and Hermione saw it barreling toward her in advance.</p><p>"I just wanted to come over and have a chat with you," Ginny said brightly, removing her traveling cloak. "I haven't seen you in ages and Mum said she heard – er – through the figurative grapevine that you haven't been out of the house except for work." She looked concerned, twisting the hem of the sleeve of her robes uncomfortably.</p><p>"I expect that the – er – figurative grapevine has something to do with Ronald and Harry?" Hermione asked, looking up from the pot she was stirring on the stove.</p><p>"They don't keep secrets from each other, that's for sure," Ginny said, clearly trying to laugh off the discomfort in the air.</p><p>"Some women," Hermione said bracingly, "are mothers and choose to focus on building a family instead of a career. Ron and I simply aren't ready for children. I just want to build my career first. There's nothing wrong with that."</p><p>"So if I told you Harry and I were expecting again, you wouldn't be upset in the slightest?"</p><p>Hermione had seen it coming. She felt stupid for blinking back tears.</p><p>"No, I wouldn't," she said, forcing her voice to stay calm.</p><p>"I felt the need to tell you in advance," Ginny said. "Harry told Ron last night and he seemed to have an odd reaction. He told Harry that we shouldn't tell you, that you'd be upset. He said that the two of you had been trying to have a baby for years and that it just hadn't happened yet. Oh, Hermione, why didn't you tell me?"</p><p>"I figured that the contents of my uterus are supposed to be our business alone. I'm sorry that Ronald put that on the two of you. The intricacies of our apparent – er – infertility aren't supposed to be shared with the masses," Hermione said stiffly. She would not cry. She would not start crying.</p><p>"That has to put strain on your marriage," Ginny said kindly.</p><p>Not that you would know anything about that, Hermione thought bitterly.</p><p>"It isn't easy, but we manage," Hermione replied. "Congratulations on your pregnancy. I'm sure James will be excited to have a baby brother or sister," she added, trying to change the subject.</p><p>Ginny didn't take the bait.</p><p>"Do you know what's wrong?" she asked, taking a seat on the settee. "Have you reached out to a Healer to see if they can help?"</p><p>"I've reached out to more Healers than I care to admit," Hermione said, turning to the cutting board and waving her wand. The knife flew from its block over to the cutting board to meet with a tomato and started slicing it.</p><p>"Do they have any answers?" Ginny pressed.</p><p>"Just that my husband is one of seven children while I am an only child. Clearly there must be some sort of hereditary infertility no one knows about. Just because my parents chose to only have one child doesn't mean there was anything wrong with them. It's also a possibility that the problem lies with Ron and not with me," Hermione said, trying to keep her frustration at bay. Ginny just didn't understand. She couldn't possibly understand the plight of the infertile in her present condition. She could tell by the look on Ginny's face that Ginny thought, as did Ron, that an infertile Weasley was an oxymoron and the issue absolutely must be with her and not him.</p><p>"Look, I appreciate you coming over and all," Hermione continued. "Thanks for giving me the heads up so I'm not a blibbering mess tomorrow, while I'm remembering the fact that I can't seem to get pregnant. And thank you for the invitation."</p><p>Their brief meeting had come to an end. Ginny walked over, as if to give Hermione a hug and thought the better of it, turning away at the last minute.</p><p>"I love you, Hermione," she said sadly. "Please, let me know if you need anything."</p><p>Hermione chose to work overtime at the Ministry instead of subjecting herself to Ginny's pregnancy announcement at the Burrow. She knew it would appear that she and Ron were having problems, to miss such a large event, but she really couldn't spare the feelings to care much.</p><p>xx</p><p>It was late afternoon on a Friday. Hermione sat at her desk, riffling through files on the Rodham case outside Bexley, when Harry came in the door unannounced.</p><p>"Are you here to lecture me too?" she snapped. "First Ron, then Ginny, now you?"</p><p>"I haven't the slightest idea what you're barking about," Harry said, handing her another file folder. "I was advised by Robards to bring this to someone in Magical Law Enforcement. We need a warrant to search the premises of a suspected Death Eater hideout in Greenwich. But now I'm wondering if everything is okay with you?"</p><p>Hermione sighed. "Not particularly. There's nothing exceptionally wrong at the moment. More a buildup of everything that's happened in the last two and a half years with Ron."</p><p>"What's wrong with Ron?" Harry asked sharply.</p><p>"Oh, nothing. He just gave up his career path as an Auror to go work in a joke shop, blames me for just about every single problem in our marriage and insists that it's my fault that we can't seem to get pregnant. Then, he goes to you and complains about things that should be kept completely confidential between the two of us!" She could feel her face growing hot. "Ginny came over last night to share your happy news and seemed to know quite a bit more than I had ever shared with her. Apparently Ron has chosen to confide in you instead of me and you've shared just about everything he has told you with her." She took a deep breath before adding hastily, "Not that I blame you for that part, because that's just a sign that your marriage is significantly healthier than mine."</p><p>Harry whistled softly. "I didn't realize things were quite that bad," he said. "I mean, I knew Ron was struggling but to be honest, I think we both know that he's always had a bit of a temper, so I thought he was just blowing off steam and misdirecting his anger."</p><p>"I miss my caring husband," Hermione sighed. "I know he has to be in there somewhere. But in the current state of things, I find myself doubting that he loves me as much as he used to say he did."</p><p>"Oh, Hermione, don't – "</p><p>"I'm serious, Harry. Remember back in sixth year when I took McClaggen to Slughorn's Christmas party, just because he was the one who would piss him off the most?"</p><p>"It worked," Harry agreed, leaning against the wall and eyeing Hermione up and down shrewdly.</p><p>"I just feel… abandoned," Hermione cried. "I've had the most awful thoughts lately… wondering if making him jealous is the only way to win his affections back."</p><p>"I can see how you would feel that way," Harry said. "Obviously, I want the pair of you to work things out, but I'm not sure how I'm really equipped to help either of you. I feel awful about the entire thing. Here you and Ron have been trying to have a baby and Ginny and I are sitting here with a baby on the way that only one of us wanted."</p><p>Hermione's eyebrows raised up so high they became invisible in her wild curls. "What do you mean?" she asked.</p><p>"I was just happy with James," Harry said. "I mean, I'm not complaining – we're lucky to have our kids. But if it were up to Ginny, she'd have a whole boatload. I only wanted two. She wants six. I wanted to wait until James was at least five or six before having another baby. Next thing I know, Ginny's telling me she's pregnant. I don't know if she stopped taking her potion or what, but this doesn't seem accidental when she had been begging for months."</p><p>"Maybe you're wrong and these things just sort of happen?" Hermione asked, unable to believe that Ginny would deceive her husband.</p><p>"Keep in mind that Ginny is Molly's daughter," Harry said darkly. "Molly's always been a domineering woman over Arthur and Ginny, as much as I love her, isn't really that different."</p><p>Hermione didn't know what to say.</p><p>"Seems we've gotten ourselves into a pickle, huh?" she asked, gazing out the conjured office window. "Married to people we love, but neither one can stop thinking of themselves for long enough to see that we have needs, too."</p><p>"Marriage is a two-way street," Harry agreed.</p><p>"They say babies don't fix broken marriages," Hermione said. "I know that all the psychologists I've read up on say that, at least. I just don't see why that wouldn't fix things. That's the source of every single one of our fights lately. If the stressor goes away, then the stress would go away too, right?"</p><p>"But it would be replaced by something else," Harry said sagely. "I mean, I don't know what, but it seems that that would be logical?"</p><p>Hermione sighed. She looked over at the clock. "Harry, it's nearly five o'clock. You should probably get going to the Burrow. You're going to be late."</p><p>"There will be so many people there that I doubt my presence would be missed," he said, half a smile crossing his face. "What about you? Are you coming?"</p><p>"I think that the Greenwich warrant needs to be served. I'll likely be tied up the rest of the evening trying to get ahold of the Head of the Department. I'll catch you guys later, I'm sure," Hermione said, thankful for the excuse Harry had provided her.</p><p>Harry gave her a small, sad smile and turned on his heel and back out the office door.</p><p>Hermione stood at her desk, mulling thoughts over in her head. Harry Potter sure had given her an awful lot to think about.</p><p>xx</p><p>It was two weeks later when Harry barged through Hermione's office door again. This time, it was his turn to be angry.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, look alarmed at his disheveled appearance.</p><p>"Your husband," he spat, tossing a copy of the Daily Prophet on Hermione's desk. "I've just seen him in Diagon Alley."</p><p>Hermione picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet and read the front-page article that screamed Wicked Weasley Wrongdoing! by none other than Rita Skeeter.</p><p>Ronald Weasley, 23, was spotted out and about Tuesday evening without his wedding band in Diagon Alley, in the throes of an intense make-out session with Gabrielle Delacour, 17. Weasley is currently married to Hermione Granger-Weasley, 23, while Delacour is most famously known for her close relationship with her sister, Fleur Weasley, Ron Weasley's sister-in-law. While things between Weasley and his wife have always seemed pleasant, this reporter can personally attest that things may not always be as they seem. Weasley's relationship has been plagued by difficulty from the very beginning and many attest Granger-Weasley's skyrocketing career at the Ministry of Magic to be the cause.</p><p>"Granger just doesn't want kids," former Hogwarts classmate Pansy Nott states. "Her career, just like her schoolwork, always comes first. Weasley should have picked a wife that wanted a family. Seems like the Delacour sister would be a better choice for that, although she's far too pretty for him."</p><p>Celebrity insiders will note, of course, that Fleur Weasley is currently expecting her third child with her husband, Bill Weasley, brother of Ronald Weasley. It is widely speculated that Bill and Fleur are aiming for the same grand total of seven children that his parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley, have.</p><p>Seems like the end of this celebrity marriage. Here's hoping that Hermione Granger-Weasley can find someone with enough courage to handle her many talents.</p><p>Hermione slowly sat the paper down in shock.</p><p>"If it makes you feel any better, I clocked him a good one," Harry said, dryly.</p><p>"You mean, this isn't all just a preposterous rumor?" Hermione asked him, begging for the answer to be a resounding no.</p><p>"I wish I could say so," Harry replied. "I have no idea how serious they are or how long this has been going on. All he could tell me was not to tell you. Of course, this was something I absolutely had to."</p><p>"I expect it was all because of her veela charm," Hermione spat, getting up from her desk. She felt as though her heart was breaking in two.</p><p>"Hermione – "</p><p>Hermione turned around to see Harry looking at her helplessly.</p><p>In two quick steps, he was within inches of her, tucking the loose strand of her hair that was hanging in her face behind her ear and pulling her into a tight embrace.</p><p>"What?" Hermione asked, her voice cracking.</p><p>"I'm sorry," he whispered.</p><p>Sad brown eyes met reassuring green and suddenly, Hermione felt herself drawn to her best friend in a way she hadn't before. She leaned in and kissed him.</p><p>For a full five seconds or so, they remained connected, warmth coursing through Hermione's body that she hadn't felt in so long. Harry pulled away suddenly.</p><p>"I told Ginny before I came down here," he said.</p><p>"And?" Hermione asked, an embarrassed flush coloring her cheeks. What were they doing?</p><p>"She tried justifying Ron's position," he said angrily. "I can't even with her right now. I told her I wasn't coming home tonight."</p><p>"Well, Ron isn't coming home tonight either. I'll address this with him later, but I need to get home and change the wards on our flat or I'll have nowhere to sleep tonight. I can't believe him!"</p><p>"Hermione – "</p><p>"Don't you dare tell me to work it out with him too!" she snapped.</p><p>"I wasn't going to. Clearly there are some – er – problems in your marriage, but I'm sure they can be worked out with time. I mean, he clearly needs to understand that he can't consistently blame something this big on you, especially with no evidence that your inability to have children is completely your fault. It most likely isn't."</p><p>"Shall I come check on you later?" he asked.</p><p>"You are more than welcome to come crash in our guest room if you need some time to process everything with Ginny," Hermione said, grateful for her friend's support.</p><p>"That would actually be very much appreciated," Harry said, pulling her into a hug. "We'll get through this. You and I. And Ron and Ginny will come back around and we'll be fine. All four of us will be completely fine."</p><p>Hermione Granger-Weasley was extremely thankful for Harry Potter.</p><p>xx</p><p>Ginny had continued to isolate Harry, her growing resentment that he wasn't over the moon about the news of her pregnancy and her anger that he was staying somewhere else other than at home with her and James. Harry had not told her exactly where he was staying.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ron had collected most of his things and moved back into the Burrow. It was obvious that this was a poor choice because whatever dalliance he had had with Gabrielle had quickly fizzled out and he was miserable. He wrote letters to Hermione every other day, asking for forgiveness and apologizing profusely, but Hermione was unsure whether this was merely because he had forgotten how overbearing and hypercritical his mother could be or because he couldn't stay with Bill and Fleur because Fleur was insisting Ron was at fault for the entire situation that had occurred with Gabrielle.</p><p>Dear Hermione,</p><p>I am hoping you are receiving my letters. Please respond soon.</p><p>I feel the need to impress upon you my sincere apologies once more. There was nothing that occurred with Gabrielle that crossed the threshold of infidelity, although I was too cavalier in my own thinking, believing that I could be open and honest with her, sharing with her details that I used to be able to share with you. I should have remembered that you are my wife and you're supposed to be the one that I share everything with. Our inability to have children has created a wedge between us. I understand that this must be extremely difficult for you most of all. I choose to share this burden with you, remembering that I chose to love you through the good times and the bad.</p><p>Please forgive me.</p><p>All my love, your husband,</p><p>Ronald Bilius Weasley</p><p>Hermione ripped the letter into pieces after she had read it, glaring over at Harry who was sitting at the breakfast table, reading the Daily Prophet.</p><p>"Another letter?" he asked her idly, his bespectacled emerald eyes eyeing her from over the edge of the newspaper.</p><p>"More of the same garbage. Seems Percy has been helping him write to me."</p><p>Harry laughed and Hermione held back a small smile.</p><p>"What?" she asked.</p><p>"I can imagine it. Please tell me he didn't underhandedly blame all of this on you again," he said, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"In fact, he did. 'I choose to share this burden with you,'" she grimaced. "Like it's my burden he's subjecting himself to. I hope you know I've been thoroughly tested and no doctor, magical or Muggle, has been able to find a thing wrong with me."</p><p>Harry shook his head. "Well, at least that's better than being yelled at. I swear, I'm just going to stop going over there and making things work with Ginny. I feel like she's acting like more of a mother than a wife."</p><p>"You up for good old oak-matured mead and a good movie tonight?" Hermione asked. "We'll just have a night in and try our best to forget about all of this for a while," she said.</p><p>"That sounds fantastic," Harry agreed.</p><p>That evening, Harry and Hermione settled back down in the living room with their mead and a newly released romantic comedy.</p><p>"Sometimes you just need to make fun of love to find it again," Hermione had reasoned.</p><p>"You do realize that I'm a guy and I'm only agreeing to sit here because there's mead involved and you're my best friend, right?" Harry asked.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure if I get you drunk enough, you'll do just about anything," laughed Hermione.</p><p>"Not anything," Harry said. "I still have some fortitude."</p><p>"Big words coming from you," Hermione teased.</p><p>Later that evening, once finishing their movie, both Harry and Hermione were a bit more inebriated than they had planned on. As the movie ended, they cleaned up the living room and Harry walked Hermione back to her side of the flat.</p><p>"Thanks," Hermione said balefully. "It's been a really long time since I've laughed that much."</p><p>"I'm glad I could help," Harry replied.</p><p>She wasn't sure who initiated the kiss this time, but all of a sudden, Harry's lips were on hers and she couldn't tell where his body ended and hers began. She found herself leaning into him, all inhibitions washed away.</p><p>"Stay with me tonight?" she breathed.</p><p>xx</p><p>The next morning, Hermione awoke alone in her bed. Her head was pounding fiercely and she could barely think straight.</p><p>The bedroom door opened and a fully dressed Harry Potter came into her bedroom, bringing her a nasty looking dark red potion in a cup.</p><p>"Drink," he commanded.</p><p>"Wuh?" she groaned in response.</p><p>"Drink," he replied. "You'll feel better."</p><p>A few sips of the potion later, Hermione could finally think again. Memories of the previous night flooded back to her and she groaned. Images came unbidden into her mind and she flushed.</p><p>"We need to talk," Harry said abruptly.</p><p>"Yeah," Hermione murmured in agreement.</p><p>"I'm going back to Ginny today and I'm going to make things work," Harry said. "We can't be doing this. I have James to think of and a new baby on the way and I can't just be an idiot and let them all go just because I'm throwing a fit like a little kid who didn't get the candy he wanted. Obviously our marriage isn't perfect, but it's worth saving."</p><p>Hermione nodded. She knew this was coming. Of course Harry had a family!</p><p>"And I think you should forgive Ron," Harry continued. "I can't insist that you do or anything and I know he's a right prat at times. But if you forgive him, he'll owe you and as smart as a witch as you are, I'm sure you can convince him to go in for testing or something." He sat down next to her, his face stoic. "We've been friends since we were children… we can't let our adult problems get in the way of that."</p><p>"Don't worry about Ron and I," Hermione said stiffly. "I'll figure something out."</p><p>"I love you, Hermione," Harry said. "I always have. Maybe not in the romantic sense or anything, but we're family. I want what's best for you."</p><p>Hermione nodded. "I know," she said. "I guess I just need to find out if Ron is truly who is best for me or if I'm better off on my own. I've never dated anyone else – I don't even know what it's like to be with someone other than him. And don't bring up Viktor because I was fourteen and had no idea what love was back then."</p><p>"Wasn't gonna," Harry said, looking the other way.</p><p>"Do me a favor?" Hermione asked.</p><p>"Sure," Harry replied.</p><p>"Let's not talk about last night ever again," Hermione said. "I don't want this being something that comes up for either of us. I'm pretty sure this morning was embarrassing enough."</p><p>"Definitely," Harry said flatly.</p><p>It was three weeks later.</p><p>Hermione had allowed Ron to move back in, but they were sleeping in separate bedrooms. She also insisted on marriage counseling and she was surprised that Ron had agreed to it. According to him, any therapist in the world would be better than his mother's counseling that as the male partner in his marriage, it was his responsibility to ensure his wife's happiness at all times and he needed to stop being a prat and apologize to his wife immediately and beg for her forgiveness. The apology and begging Percy had helped him with, but the rest of it was something he'd rather not discuss with his mother.</p><p>For that, Hermione was grateful.</p><p>They had had three sessions with Dr. Klein, a Muggle therapist. They both agreed it was safer to meet with a therapist that had absolutely no idea who they were. The last thing they needed was the Daily Prophet to pick up on confidential information they had provided in a therapy session.</p><p>Things were better – not by a huge margin, but definite improvement was happening. Hermione felt she couldn't complain given the circumstances. She had absolutely no intention of telling Ron what had happened with Harry in their bedroom while she was under the influence of oak-matured mead. She knew he would never forgive Harry and the last thing Hermione wanted was to be the cause of the demise of their friendship.</p><p>Meanwhile, she was ill. She had been sent home from work that day with a stomach flu. Although she wasn't running a fever at all, she had felt nauseated all day long. She headed home and elected to sleep it off, rather than trying to find a way to end the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her.</p><p>The next morning, she didn't feel any better. She awoke to her empty bed, hearing Ron jostling dishes around in the kitchen. The pungent smell of bacon wafted into the bedroom, causing Hermione's stomach to tighten uncomfortably once more.</p><p>Hermione dry heaved and reached for her wand to dispel the greasy odor when Ron walked in, a tray laden with breakfast food.</p><p>"I thought you might enjoy breakfast," he said cheerily. "I know you felt awful yesterday, but I figured putting something in your stomach might help. How did you sleep?"</p><p>"Like a rock," Hermione admitted, eyeing the offending bacon strips on the plate. The pancakes and fresh fruit did look rather appealing, so she took the plate from Ron and sat it on the bedside table next to her.</p><p>"I've taken off work at the shop for the weekend. I thought that maybe we could go somewhere remote, spend some quality time together," Ron said, looking over at the plate that Hermione had set down.</p><p>"Did you have somewhere in mind?" Hermione asked.</p><p>"I've booked us a chalet in Nice," Ron said. "Seemed like something you might enjoy. Fleur had a connection – got a bargain on the reservation. I knew you wouldn't want to go if it was too expensive…" he trailed off.</p><p>Hermione digested this news thoughtfully. "I'm surprised," she said. She had remembered that Mr. Klein had suggested they spend some quality time together, to reacquaint themselves with one another and try to remember why they had fallen in love in the first place. But she knew it wasn't the best time to bring up their therapist.</p><p>"When do we leave?" Hermione asked, sitting up a little straighter in bed.</p><p>"Tomorrow morning," Ron replied, a crooked grin spreading onto his freckled face. "I think you're going to love it."</p><p>Trust Ron to do something extravagant to apologize for his massive mess-up, Hermione thought. She just smiled weakly. "Sounds great."</p><p>xx</p><p>The early September sun brilliantly shone against the clear blue waters of the French Riviera.</p><p>Hermione was lost in thought, her feet buried in the sand, while Ron slathered himself with sunscreen.</p><p>She looked over at him idly.</p><p>He'd rather be here with Gabrielle instead, I'm sure. She could show him all the wonderful things about Nice and Monaco and here I am feeling completely out of place with all these beautiful women, she thought bitterly.</p><p>Ron scooted closer and kissed her cheek. As he pulled away, he tucked her hair behind her ear.</p><p>"The sea sure is beautiful," Hermione said, watching the waves lap up over the shore.</p><p>"Not as beautiful as you are," Ron replied, not taking his eyes off her. "I'm thankful that you're the one I get to share this with."</p><p>Hermione smiled at him, squashing her uncomfortable thoughts into the back of her mind. "Want some help?" she asked, gesturing to the sunscreen bottle next to him. "Wouldn't want your back to get burned."</p><p>"Thank you," he replied.</p><p>They had room service in their chalet with a wonderful French dinner complete with lamb chops, prosciutto and escargot. Ron was a bit apprehensive about eating snails, but Hermione, who had holidayed with her parents in France quite often over the summers as a child, encouraged him to take a bite.</p><p>"They're SNAILS, Hermione," Ron said defiantly. "Not much better than slugs and mind you, I still remember vomiting those up like it was yesterday."</p><p>Hermione dissolved into fits of laughter. Ron looked dismayed for a brief moment and then joined her.</p><p>"Okay, okay," she choked. "You don't have to eat them."</p><p>They ended the evening wrapped up in one another's arms in the pristine white suite, Hermione's head resting on Ron's chest as they spoke about the past and their future.</p><p>"Where do you see the joke shop being in five years?" Hermione mused.</p><p>"It's taken off so much faster than George or I ever thought it would... He thought about giving it up after Fred died in the war. He needed me. I know you didn't agree with my decision to leave the Ministry and looking back, I was grieving so much that I never really explained to you my feelings or why I felt it was important to be there for George," Ron said, his eyes glazed over in reminiscent thought.</p><p>"Was it only a kiss?" Hermione asked, thinking of Ron's indiscretion with Gabrielle.</p><p>"A bit more than that," Ron admitted.</p><p>"You slept with her?" Hermione asked, her voice breaking against her will.</p><p>"No," Ron said adamantly, shaking his head. He looked down at her. "No matter how bad things got here with us, I could never do that to you. I just got carried away. I kissed her. She wanted more."</p><p>"Why her?" Hermione asked, struggling to keep the emotion out of her voice.</p><p>"You've got to understand Fleur and Gabrielle," Ron said softly. "They were very close as children. Their father worked constantly and their mother was very, very strict. When Fleur left and found happiness with Bill, it was all Gabrielle ever wanted. I displayed weakness and she clearly saw me as a way out, a way to get away from her parents. She's an adult, but she's still in school. The one thing she didn't want was to have to go back to them when she finishes her education at Beauxbatons."</p><p>"But you were susceptible to her…" Hermione trailed off.</p><p>"Yes," Ron said. "But remember our fourth year when I was smitten with Fleur? There's something about those veela… I can apologize for it all day long, but it doesn't change what happened."</p><p>"True," Hermione replied. "It doesn't."</p><p>"So at the end of the day, you have to decide… is what we have together worth saving? Do we push through the problems we have and try to find our way out together?" he asked her, lacing his fingers into hers.</p><p>Of course it was easier for him to ask that, being the only one he thought who had made mistakes. She had no idea what he would think or do had he known about her transgression. She knew she had made the split second decision with Harry just because she felt it was no more wrong than what she supposed Ron had been doing. But to find out that she was guilty of the greater crime… she felt broken, dirty, filthy…</p><p>"We could always adopt," Hermione said, breaking her thoughts. "You know, if we keep trying and nothing ever happens."</p><p>"There are very rarely ever wizarding children placed for adoption, Hermione. There aren't many of us to begin with…" he trailed off.</p><p>"But I work for the Ministry. If Hogwarts has a way of finding Muggleborns, surely there would be a way to see if any are orphaned like Harry or like You-Know-Who…" Hermione reasoned.</p><p>"I am NOT raising the next You-Know-Who," Ron said flatly. "We'll see about the rest. If a situation presented itself, I'd have to give it some thought."</p><p>He leaned in and kissed her, wrapping her in his arms. His hands snaked lower and lower, lifting the hem of her night dress.</p><p>His hand cupped her cheek before drifting lower to cup her breast. Hermione winced.</p><p>"Are you okay, love?" Ron whispered, letting go as if he had burned her.</p><p>"I'm fine," Hermione said, shrugging the momentary sharp pain away. She leaned up and kissed him.</p><p>He returned her ardor eagerly, slipping the offending hand further down where it rested beneath her soft curls, toying with them teasingly.</p><p>Hermione moaned, letting go and giving herself to her husband for the first time in weeks.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Blessed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Two: Blessed</p><p>xx</p><p>Upon returning from their late-summer interlude in France, Ron and Hermione were well refreshed. Their marriage seemed to have enjoyed a slight pick-me-up. They still had the same underlying problems, but their ability to handle them had improved significantly.</p><p>Meanwhile, Hermione had become one with the loo. What she had suspected was a brief illness and then food poisoning had not gone away.</p><p>"Perhaps you should schedule an appointment at St. Mungo's," Ron suggested from the bathroom door. It was Hermione's first trip that day to the toilet and she was quite exhausted, having woken up mere minutes prior to her foray into the bathroom. "You wouldn't want it to be some kind of hex or something…"</p><p>"I seriously doubt I've been hexed, Ronald," she said crossly.</p><p>Her stomach lurched uncomfortably once more and she emptied its contents into the toilet bowl.</p><p>She carefully went over the events of the past several weeks in her head and compared them with her symptoms. She was moody, tired, her breasts had been fairly sore along with the unceasing nausea and vomiting. Plus she had been late to work twice already in the past week due to sleeping through her alarm. Luckily Ron wakened her when he realized she was still in bed. Upon their return from France, they had started sharing their bed once more, so he had begun waking her up when he did, which had cut down on this unfortunate occurrence.</p><p>Hermione came out of the loo to see Ron standing by the fireplace with its emerald green flames. He hurried over and kissed her on the cheek.</p><p>"I'll see you this evening," he said. "Have a great day at work."</p><p>"You too," Hermione said.</p><p>Ron stepped into the green flames and in an instant was gone.</p><p>She had an hour before she needed to leave for work. If she was quick, she would have enough time to accomplish what she needed to.</p><p>Stepping out the front door of their loft, she headed down the stairs. Once in the foyer, she looked this way and that before Disapparating.</p><p>She appeared just behind Waitrose Grocery, a Muggle grocery store in Sidcup, and walked around to the front of the store. Once inside, she made her way to the back of the store, to an aisle marked "Family Planning."</p><p>She picked up a bright pink box and turned it over in her hands. Looking from left to right, she headed to the front of the store, feeling as if the eyes of everyone in the store were in front of her.</p><p>"Starting a family, eh?" the redheaded man asked as he rang up her purchase.</p><p>Hermione murmured her dissent.</p><p>"Best of luck to yeh," he replied. "And may the odds be ever in your favor!"</p><p>Hermione grabbed her package after paying the cashier and hurried out of the store, her face red with embarrassment. She looked to the left and to the right once more and when the coast was clear, she Disapparated.</p><p>xx</p><p>Sitting on the loo back in the flat she and Ron shared, the Muggle pregnancy test in her hands, she watched the urine pass over the window. Instantaneously, two pink lines appeared, hazy at first, and then clearer and clearer, the first line much darker than the second.</p><p>She had known… it wasn't a surprise at this point. She had suspected for well over a week now.</p><p>She was pregnant. Really pregnant by the look of the stick – it was drawing dye from the control line.</p><p>And just as much as she knew she was pregnant, she knew the child she carried wasn't Ron's. It was Harry's. In the middle of their drunken throes of passion, protection hadn't been something they had concerned them with. Hermione hadn't used protection with Ron in over two years once they decided they wanted children… so it hadn't been a second thought to her in her intoxicated state.</p><p>She had slept with Ron a couple of weeks before. It had been a marital responsibility – even when they were fighting she didn't deny him. She merely made herself available. It hadn't been like the most recent time where she felt their hearts come together as one.</p><p>While in France, they had made the decision to work on their marriage. She loved Ron; she truly did. He was a stupid prat sometimes, but then again, she had known that when she married him. He hadn't even slept with Gabrielle… it was all a huge misunderstanding. Certainly, he had committed some sort of transgression, but in her eyes, he hadn't crossed the lines of adultery like she had.</p><p>She felt tears burning in the corners of her eyes. She had always wanted to be a mother – it had been the source of nearly all of her fights with Ron for two solid years. She was finally pregnant and she didn't know what to do about it in the slightest.</p><p>Hermione managed to get herself to work on time, expecting a rather light work day. Unfortunately, she was wrong and spent the entire day researching concealment charms and devices in the library.</p><p>Her assistant, Nasira, eyeballed her as she walked into her office at the end of another long day, looking rather flustered.</p><p>"Is everything okay?" Nasira asked, looking alarmed. Her big brown eyes reflected the anxiety Hermione was feeling.</p><p>"Everything is fine, Nasira," Hermione said, forcing herself to smile in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "Any messages since I've been gone?"</p><p>"One from Wilberforce about interdepartmental communications, one from Percy Weasley in the Goblin Liasion office about an issue with Rolf Scamander, and one from Harry Potter regarding the results of the search warrant you issued for the situation in Greenwich," Nasira prattled on.</p><p>"Lovely," Hermione replied. "Wonderful Monday already, isn't it? Not complete without a queue of people needing things from me as I'm trying to get out the door?"</p><p>"Something like that," Nasira said, looking out the door. "Here comes Potter now."</p><p>Hermione's stomach lurched uncomfortably with something that had little to do with morning sickness.</p><p>"Hermione, Nasira," Harry said, nodding to each of them.</p><p>"Harry," Hermione said, smiling. "Come on in."</p><p>Nasira nodded to both of them and turned to sit down at her desk, nearly invisible except the bright orange and pink sari contrasting with her dark hair.</p><p>Hermione offered Harry the seat in front of her desk and closed the door behind them.</p><p>"Everything okay?" he asked. "How did this weekend go?"</p><p>"Went really well," Hermione answered. "Ron seems a jot happier at any rate."</p><p>"And what about you?" Harry asked, looking at her with a level of interest that made her slightly uneasy. "Everything okay since you've been home?"</p><p>"I'm fine," she said shortly.</p><p>"Good," Harry said. "Now, about this situation in Greenwich…"</p><p>"Did you find anything when you searched the premises?" Hermione asked.</p><p>"We did," Harry answered, nodding. "So I need another warrant."</p><p>"Another?"</p><p>"This time an arrest warrant."</p><p>Hermione looked surprised. "And just who are you arresting?"</p><p>"Unfortunately this time, it's Stan Shunpike for real," Harry said, grimacing. "Looks like he wasn't under the Imperius Curse while he was doing the bidding of the Death Eaters after all."</p><p>"What?" Hermione exclaimed, aghast. "I mean, I can send the request off to Wilberforce, but are you absolutely certain? He is going to kill me with it being so late in the evening."</p><p>"Unfortunately, yes," Harry sighed. "And if I had just cursed him off his broom while we were 10,000 kilometers in the air, I wouldn't have to worry about this now."</p><p>"Oh, Harry," Hermione winced. "Don't say that. You're not a murderer. Or a judge, for that matter."</p><p>"Is it wrong that in this particular instance, I wish I was?" he asked, a forlorn expression crossing his face.</p><p>"No," Hermione replied. "I don't think so. Not at all. But we are only human, after all."</p><p>The phrase caught her off guard and she realized that that statement seemed to come full circle at this particular point in her life. She was only human after all. And humans were always making mistakes, right?</p><p>"Are you okay?" Harry asked her again, looking at her strangely.</p><p>"I just said I was, didn't I?" Hermione replied too quickly.</p><p>"Yes, you did," Harry answered. "But something just seems off. Ron mentioned yesterday that you were ill, but I know you and even though you're a work-a-holic, you wouldn't imagine coming in here and infecting everyone else."</p><p>Except this isn't something that's contagious, Hermione thought.</p><p>"I'm feeling much better today," she lied.</p><p>"Your birthday is coming up!" Harry said, seeing the date on Hermione's desk. "Do you have any plans?"</p><p>"Not really," Hermione replied. "Figured I would just stay home this year."</p><p>"Don't count on that," Harry laughed. "You didn't hear it from me, but Ginny is making plans for you."</p><p>"Plans for me?" Hermione asked dryly, not amused.</p><p>"I told her you wouldn't like surprises, but she insisted," Harry shrugged. "Pretend you didn't know a thing. I thought you'd appreciate the heads up." He got up from the desk and headed toward the door. "I should go. Send that memo over for me - we need that warrant signed by Wilberforce as soon as possible."</p><p>Hermione nodded, scrawling a quick note to Walton Wilberforce, the Head of the Department, and waved her wand at it. The note turned itself into a paper airplane and darted out the door toward the Head's Office. Wilberforce was going to kill her with it being so late and all. By the time they located him and got his signature on the warrant, it would likely be the middle of the night..</p><p>"Done," she said, giving Harry a wry smile. "Good luck."</p><p>"Same to you," he said, nodding to her.</p><p>xx</p><p>Hermione's twenty-fourth birthday was the following Saturday. And sure enough, Harry was right. Ginny Flooed over and practically dragged Hermione out the door.</p><p>"There's been an incident at the Burrow and we absolutely must have the best Incident Coordinator that the Ministry can provide!" she exclaimed dramatically.</p><p>"Oh, Ginny," Hermione sighed. "Do I have to?"</p><p>"The whole of the Weasley family needs you!"</p><p>It took every ounce of energy Hermione had to not roll her eyes.</p><p>And of course, when Ginny yanked Hermione through the fireplace and into the Burrow, they were greeted by nearly the entire family gathered together in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's modest kitchen.</p><p>"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HERMIONE!"</p><p>The din was overwhelming. As they exited the fireplace, Hermione saw every single one of the Weasleys except Charlie, who she supposed to be still off in Romania. The number of people in such a small space was just as overwhelming as the sound. Hermione scanned the crowd looking for her husband.</p><p>Ron had already found himself a seat at the table.</p><p>"Oi, 'Mione!" he called. "Saved a seat for the birthday girl!"</p><p>How on earth did they think I would enjoy this? Hermione asked herself.</p><p>"What a surprise!" she exclaimed. She could feel her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment.</p><p>"We just haven't seen you in so long, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, wrapping her into a huge hug. "Ginny thought it would be nice to have a small party here for you. Of course, I don't think a small party is possible for this family any longer with the amount of children and spouses and grandchildren we have."</p><p>Hermione smiled weakly at her and looked over at Mr. Weasley, who was holding a smiling James on his hip.</p><p>"Well, thank you for thinking of me," she said, nodding to them and making her way over to the seat Ron had gestured to.</p><p>"Food is nearly ready!" called Mrs. Weasley above the dull roar of the many other Weasley relatives, clapping her hands together with enthusiasm.</p><p>Hermione didn't say a thing. She felt Ron's hand snake under the table up her thigh, pulling her hand into his and giving it a soft squeeze.</p><p>A line of children ran through the kitchen suddenly, Teddy Lupin a flash of turquoise with blonde Victoire on his heels. They were followed by a flash of strawberry blonde that Hermione assumed to be Dominique and trailed by a crying Molly, her freckled face tearstained and sullen.</p><p>"Oh, Molly dear!" Audrey sighed, picking her up and gently wiping her tears away. "It's okay!"</p><p>"Domi won't pway wif me!" she bawled.</p><p>"That's okay, love," Audrey hushed her. "Let's go see baby sister?"</p><p>And Audrey hurried outside where Percy sat holding a tiny infant to his chest wrapped in a pink blanket.</p><p>Hermione sighed. It was what she had always wanted - a loving marriage with two beautiful children. She had no idea how she was going to tell Ron about the baby on the way.</p><p>Turning her head to look across the room, she saw Harry walk by Ginny, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled and unconsciously lowered her hand to her stomach. A knife felt like it was slicing through her insides. Ginny would never forgive her.</p><p>"Hermione?"</p><p>Hermione turned to face Ron, who was looking at her with an air of concern. "You okay?"</p><p>"I'm quite fine," she replied. "A little tired, maybe."</p><p>Ron nodded. "It's been a long week. Harry said the Rodham case has kept the two of you busy. Something about a search warrant and then arrest warrant in Greenwich?"</p><p>"Yeah," Hermione replied. "Involving Stan Shunpike, believe it or not."</p><p>Ron's eyes grew wide with surprise. "No way!"</p><p>Harry passed by just at that particular moment.</p><p>"No way what?" he asked, a bemused expression on his face.</p><p>"Hermione was just telling me about the arrest warrant you issued for Stan Shunpike?" Ron repeated incredulously. "Do you really have evidence enough for that?"</p><p>"Plenty," Harry said, his eyes narrowing. "Seems like he's deceived quite a few people over the years."</p><p>Hermione sighed, looking up at Harry. "It's quite the mess, that's for sure. The Prophet is going to have a field day with this one."</p><p>She looked at Harry casually, taking in his messy black hair and bright green eyes behind his glasses. He had exchanged the round frames he had worn in his youth for more low-profile, rectangular ones. He looked an awful lot like the photos Hermione had seen of his father, James. James had worn similar glasses. She wondered if the baby she carried would need glasses or if he or she would inherit her perfect eyesight.</p><p>Hermione had spent so much time over the years thinking about what her children with Ron would look like that this new dynamic took her by surprise.</p><p>"I said the food was ready TEN MINUTES AGO," Mrs. Weasley yelled.</p><p>"Well, Mum, you don't have to tell me twice!" George said, carrying a large plate of food. "Corned beef and cabbage!"</p><p>Cabbage.</p><p>Nausea passed over Hermione and she immediately got up, nearly unseating Ron in the process, as she ran to the loo.</p><p>Her flushed cheeks rested against the toilet bowl a few minutes later and she slowly breathed in and out, in and out, closing her eyes.</p><p>A soft knock at the door interrupted her trance.</p><p>"Hermione?"</p><p>It was Ginny.</p><p>"Yeah?" Hermione croaked.</p><p>"Hey, can I come in?" Ginny asked, her voice tinted with concern.</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>The door opened and Ginny's trainers appeared, contrasting with the patterned linoleum flooring. Ginny sat down, resting against the bathroom vanity cabinet, drawing her knees up to her chest.</p><p>"How far along are you?" she asked.</p><p>"What?" Hermione asked, lifting her head up from the toilet bowl.</p><p>"When is the baby due?" Ginny clarified.</p><p>Hermione had no idea how Ginny knew she was pregnant. Obviously, she wasn't showing yet and the only soul who knew she had even purchased so much as a pregnancy test was an Irish Muggle at Waitrose Grocery.</p><p>"Look, Hermione, I know that whole duck and run because the cabbage feels like it's coming up through your esophagus and you haven't even eaten any. I just did that last weekend when Harry and I had dinner with Rolf and Luna," Ginny explained. "I was smart enough to brew my own morning sickness potion before coming. A hint of ginger helps."</p><p>Hermione sat still, not answering. Panic gripped her lungs and she could barely breathe.</p><p>"I'm guessing Ron doesn't know yet?" Ginny said kindly. "I can understand waiting a bit to tell him, given how long you've tried."</p><p>"No," Hermione said, breathing slowly in and out once more. "Ron doesn't know. I wanted to sit on the news a while before telling him."</p><p>"That's understandable. How far along are you?" Ginny asked once more. "Our baby is due near the end of March. I just hit 12 weeks. The morning sickness has finally tapered off a bit. Ended right around the same time with James, come to think of it."</p><p>"I think I'm nearly 7 weeks," Hermione said, adding some time to the calendar floating in her head.</p><p>"Oh, but our babies will be so close in age – attending Hogwarts and everything together!" Ginny squealed.</p><p>Hermione hushed her quickly. "Ginny!" she hissed.</p><p>"Sorry," Ginny replied guiltily. "James will be two years ahead of them, of course, and the only people he will have with him that are family his first year will be little Molly and she's a little over a year older than he is."</p><p>"You would have their entire Hogwarts careers planned before they even set foot in the place," Hermione said, holding back a smile. "What house will James be in?"</p><p>"A Gryffindor like his mum and dad for certain!" Ginny said proudly. "So, when are you going to tell Ron?"</p><p>"How did you tell Harry about James?" Hermione asked curiously.</p><p>"Well, it was rather impromptu that time around. I was much more creative with this baby. We were just on the sofa in front of the fireplace and I looked over and told him that we were so happy he was home. He said, 'We?' and I told him we were going to be parents."</p><p>"Cute," Hermione said, trying not to imagine what Harry's response would be if she told him that the baby she was carrying was his. She imagined it would not be so pleasant.</p><p>"For this baby, I waited until I had an ultrasound photo and stuck it on the bathroom mirror while he was brushing his teeth. Although, well, that admittedly did not go the way I intended it to…" she trailed off. "He wasn't very happy about this pregnancy at first."</p><p>"He didn't want the baby?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer.</p><p>"I think he was just overwhelmed with the idea of having two kids under three. Of course, he's super happy about it now, but at the time, it was a bit challenging to wrap his head around. I mean, keep in mind that Harry was an only child – you can't count that dolt of a cousin as a sibling…"</p><p>Hermione nodded vaguely.</p><p>"Feeling any better?" Ginny asked. "I can get you some ginger ale and maybe something a bit more bland than corned beef and cabbage. Mum will just think it's for me."</p><p>"That would be nice," Hermione replied. She appreciated Ginny's understanding that this should be something to be kept quiet. She also appreciated that Ginny understood that Mrs. Weasley couldn't keep a secret to save London Bridge from falling down.</p><p>Ginny hopped up with a bit more difficulty than her usual nimble self and headed out the door.</p><p>Hermione sighed. A familiar phrase came to mind.</p><p>Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.</p><p>xx</p><p>The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was very quickly swamped with the Rodham case in Bexley and the Shunpike case in Greenwich. Hermione spent much of the next week burying herself in work, working late hours.</p><p>The Head of the Department, Walter Wilberforce, pulled her into his office the following Thursday evening, a huge mountain of paperwork on his desk. He was a very large man, tall and imposing, wearing emerald green robes. His great bushy grey mustache was disheveled and he looked rather serious, pacing back and forth behind his ornate cedar desk.</p><p>"Sir, is everything all right?"</p><p>"Busy, Weasley, just busy," Wilberforce grunted, looking at her appraisingly. "It was brought to my attention from the Auror Office that you were the one who pushed the Shunpike case and sent the information regarding the warrant I issued for his capture?"</p><p>Hermione's stomach sunk. She had been reaching outside the bounds of her position as Incident Coordinator, demanding a warrant to be signed immediately. Wilberforce's assistant had woken him up at three o'clock in the morning for his signature on the warrant.</p><p>"Yes, sir," she admitted.</p><p>"I want to personally acknowledge your quick thinking and wit in that situation. It appeared Shunpike was about to make a run of it and had I not signed that warrant when I did, he would have been gone without a trace," Wilberforce explained. "I was able to explain to the Minister that there was a young lady in my office who was responsible for me getting the warrant so quickly. He seemed to know it was you."</p><p>Hermione smiled weakly. Of course, Kingsley always liked her. She felt feelings of warmth for Kingsley Shacklebolt.</p><p>"Hence, I would like to offer you a promotion in the field, Weasley. I think you would be a great Investigator."</p><p>Hermione paused in shock. "Sir!"</p><p>"I believe you to have not only the quick wit and skill needed to piece together the most troubling of puzzles, but I also believe you to have the determination to succeed. We need more witches and wizards like you, Mrs. Weasley. You'll be an excellent asset to our force," Wilberforce boasted.</p><p>Investigators had similar responsibilities to Aurors, but spent less time in tactical capacities on the field. Ron had once referred to them as "nerdy Aurors." The job was not without its physical challenges and safety concerns, but not nearly as much as an Auror's position.</p><p>"Sir, I'm greatly appreciative of this honor," Hermione said. "But I do think I should delay field responsibilities for the time being." It humiliated her to have to turn down the honor and recognition from both her Head of Department and the Minister himself.</p><p>"I'm sorry?" Wilberforce bumbled.</p><p>"You see, I recently found out that my husband and I are expecting our first child. I can't do anything that would jeopardize my pregnancy," she stated kindly.</p><p>"Ah, I see," Wilberforce nodded. "Well, we can always work around that. We can continue your desk position and you can work with the team in a more remote setting."</p><p>"Really?" Hermione asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.</p><p>"Well, of course," Wilberforce grunted. "Witches have been having babies for as long as they've been working in this department. We have procedures."</p><p>"Well, thank you!" Hermione squealed, taking Wilberforce's beefy hand. "Thank you very much!"</p><p>xx</p><p>Hermione came home early from work that day to find Ron lying on the couch looking rather sullen, tossing a ball of rubber bands off the ceiling.</p><p>"Working on your hand-eye coordination?" she joked, taking off her traveling cloak and placing it on the cloak rack.</p><p>"Hello, stranger. Oh, wait. I forgot. You're my wife," Ron grimaced, sitting up and putting the ball of rubber bands on the end table next to the sofa.</p><p>"What a pleasant greeting," Hermione said, taken aback at the caustic nature of Ron's comment.</p><p>"I'll tell you what's not pleasant," Ron said, getting up and walking into the kitchen. "A bloke making his own dinner every night because his wife is off gallivanting at the Ministry all hours."</p><p>"I was not gallivanting!" Hermione said indignantly. She folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Ron. How could he not see how hard she had been working?</p><p>"What would you call it then?" Ron shot back.</p><p>"I'd call it securing my promotion!" Hermione snapped. "I came home early today because I wanted to share some happy news with you for once."</p><p>"A promotion?" Ron asked, clearly surprised.</p><p>"Yes," Hermione answered. "Wilberforce seemed happy with the fact that I elected to send him that memo that arrived at promptly three o'clock in the morning. They were able to catch Stan Shunpike because of the work that Harry and I had put into figuring out what was going on."</p><p>"You and Harry," Ron hedged.</p><p>"Yes," Hermione said shortly, feeling rather let down at Ron's lack of enthusiasm over her good news.</p><p>"What will they have you doing?" Ron asked, leaning against the counter top.</p><p>"It's still a desk job, but I'm being promoted to Investigator!" Hermione said, feeling excited once more. "It's a huge job promotion! I'm sad that I'll be losing Nasira once they put me in the field because she's been an amazing asset, but I'll be gaining quite the pay raise!"</p><p>"Why are they sticking you behind a desk?" Ron asked. "Investigating is a field job. It's basically the Muggle equivalent of a crime scene investigator, right?"</p><p>"It has its physical challenges and safety concerns," Hermione replied. "In my current state, I shouldn't be doing anything that intense."</p><p>"What do you mean in your current state?" Ron asked, confused. "Are you ill?"</p><p>The time had come to tell Ron about the pregnancy. Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously.</p><p>"You might want to sit down," she said, gesturing to the kitchen table.</p><p>"Okay…" Ron trailed off, looking even more confused. "Do you have Dragon Pox or something?"</p><p>"Don't be silly. Of course not," Hermione said. "I'm pregnant. We're finally having a baby."</p><p>Ron looked as though he'd been clubbed over the head.</p><p>"Are – are you sure?" he asked, all frustration leaving him at once. "Have you been seen by a Healer?"</p><p>"Not yet," said Hermione. "Although I should probably get around to getting that scheduled."</p><p>"How long have you known?" he asked.</p><p>"I've suspected it for a while, but I found out right after we returned from France for certain," she said.</p><p>"You mean you've known for two weeks and you never said anything?" Ron asked, looking shocked. "Why not?"</p><p>"I had a hard time wrapping my head around it all," Hermione replied sheepishly. "I didn't want to get your hopes up if it didn't look like the pregnancy was viable. But I'm 7 weeks now and things feel like they're going to stick around, if you know what I mean."</p><p>"Hermione, you didn't need to hide the fact that you were pregnant from me," Ron said seriously. He pulled out the chair next to him and offered it to her. "I mean, had you lost the baby, I would have wanted to be there for you. And you've been in the office working such long hours. Shouldn't you be taking it easy?"</p><p>Hermione didn't know how to address Ron's concerns. She understood his desire to know about the pregnancy, but she didn't have an excuse for her anxiety.</p><p>"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the floor.</p><p>"Oh, but Hermione," Ron said, the tips of his fingers pulling up at her chin. "We've wanted this for so long… this is a blessing."</p><p>Hermione couldn't help but smile at the love and adoration in Ron's eyes. He got up from his seated position at the kitchen table and got down on his knees in front of her, putting his hands on her still-flat stomach in wonder.</p><p>"I'm sorry for being the biggest prat ever," he continued. "I'll let up on that."</p><p>"Of course I forgive you," Hermione said.</p><p>Ron leaned up to kiss her. "I can't wait to see what he or she looks like. When can we find out the gender?"</p><p>"Well, for Muggle pregnancies, it's typically around 20 or so weeks, halfway through the pregnancy. I'm not sure how it works for wizards. I really need to get that appointment scheduled for St. Mungo's. Although I'm not sure I want to deliver at St. Mungo's. I think I'd prefer to deliver this baby at home."</p><p>"At home?" Ron spluttered. "Why? Ginny had James in the hospital just fine."</p><p>"I just don't feel like I could relax all tangled up in wires with bright fluorescent lighting everywhere. Plenty of women have had babies at home with midwives. It's especially common in Scandanavian countries."</p><p>"Well, Hermione, I hate to break it to you, but this is Britain, not Scandinavia!"</p><p>"You do realize that Scandanavia isn't a real country and I'm talking about Denmark and Sweden and Nor – "</p><p>"That's not important," Ron said, cutting her off. "I just don't get why you wouldn't want pain medication. Having babies hurts," he said wisely.</p><p>"Yes, Ronald, I'm quite aware that having babies hurts," Hermione said, forcing herself not to roll her eyes.</p><p>"Mum is going to have kittens," Ron said happily. "She's been waiting for us to have children for so long. I never told her we were trying because I knew you didn't need the stress, but this is just going to be amazing…" he trailed off.</p><p>"Yeah, amazing," Hermione said softly. Amazing…</p><p>She prayed her baby would have brown eyes. Her baby must have brown eyes.</p><p>"When can we tell them?" Ron asked.</p><p>"I'd prefer to wait until at least 12 weeks. Just to make sure everything is fine and we can get into the doctor and get a scan," Hermione said carefully.</p><p>"12 weeks?!" Ron practically bellowed. "You want to wait 12 weeks? That's over a month from now!"</p><p>"Yes, but given our past in trying to have children, I'd prefer to play it safe rather than sorry," Hermione said firmly.</p><p>"Hermione, no one in my family has waited 12 weeks to announce their pregnancies," Ron said sagely.</p><p>"No one?" Hermione asked. "And how would you know? Did you ask every single one of your brother's wives how far along she was when she announced her pregnancy? Because I know Ginny would have hit you over the head with something very hard."</p><p>"Well, no," Ron admitted. "But you know Harry would have broken down and told me about Ginny's pregnancy had they waited that long."</p><p>He had a point.</p><p>"Well, are you going to tell Harry about our pregnancy if I insist we wait 12 weeks?" Hermione asked.</p><p>"Am I the first person to know or have you told anyone?" Ron asked in return.</p><p>"Ginny guessed last weekend at my birthday bash at the Burrow," Hermione admitted. "I didn't volunteer the information but she caught me tossing bits in the loo."</p><p>"You could have told her you were ill," Ron sighed.</p><p>"I could have," Hermione agreed. "Except we both know your sister is extremely intelligent and would have seen that lie straight away. No one who is ill attends a birthday party – they could infect everyone there."</p><p>"True," Ron reasoned. "Well, I don't know what you did to get her to keep a secret, but I'm surprised the entire family doesn't know by now."</p><p>"Girl code," Hermione shrugged. "And considering that she is pregnant herself, I'm sure she didn't want to out my pregnancy out of sheer empathy."</p><p>"Women…" Ron sighed. "Always complicated, always complex."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>--</p></blockquote></div></div>
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